about as romantic as it gets. Venice at night is magical. Even a vaporetto ride along the Grande Canal at night, when you can lounge quietly on the front of the boat alone with your wife, is amazing... better than the ridiculously expensive gondola rides.

I'm not sure how all the nay-sayers experienced Venice, but we struggled with the city during the day and LOVED it at night. All the cruise ships depart between 4 and 6 PM and the city really quiets down.

So if you go to Venice:
- Arrive around 5 or 6 PM
- Explore the quiet streets until 8 PM
- Find a restaurant as far off the beaten path as possible (where the locals eat)
- Afterwards stroll through St. Mark's square listening to the dueling orchestras until midnight.
- The key is staying on the island in a decent hotel, within easy walking distance of St. Mark's. There are hundreds of small hotels with gorgeously decorated interiors and original wood-work.
- In the morning go to Doge's Palace as soon as it opens
- Go to St. Mark's using pre-bought tickets for a time about two hours after Doge's Palace opens
- Spend an hour or so in the museum opposite the square from St. Mark's
- Then head back to your hotel and take a 'nap'.
- Wake up in late-afternoon and take a vaporetto to San Giorgio where there's a beautiful church and a campinelle as tall as the one in St. Mark's square and that has no line.
- Take the vaporetto to a remote spot on the main island to find a local favorite restaurant
- Take a night-time vaporetto ride through the Grande Canal after all the tourists have left.
- And finish up by strolling through St. Mark's square listening to the dueling orchestras until midnight again.

Done... there's not a more romantic city in all of Europe that can compare to Venice on a quiet night.